Georgia Gwinnett's eighth-ranked baseball team picked up its second series win of 2016 this afternoon and will now look for a series sweep on Sunday as they captured the 4-2 victory over Saint Francis (0-2) at the Grizzly Baseball Complex this afternoon.
The Cougars struck first in the opening inning to take the 2-0 advantage over the Grizzlies. Left fielder Kansas Varner hit a triple to the left-center field wall, scoring right fielder Adam Book from first. Varner, too, would score on the relay as the erred throw bounced into the Grizzlies' dugout. Previously, Book reached on a six-pitch walk by GGC's starter Will Solomon.
Georgia Gwinnett (5-0) did all of its damage in the bottom of the fourth. Angel Soto and William Paschal reached on back-to-back walks to start the inning. On a 3-1 curve ball, second baseman Jereid Woods lifted a double down the right field line scoring Soto from second and moving Paschal to third. The hit cut Saint Francis' lead to 2-1.
Moments later, catcher Alex Lugo delivered the biggest hit of the afternoon for GGC as he lifted a bloop single to shallow right, scoring both Paschal and Woods for the 3-2 GGC lead.
Lugo received a courtesy runner in Marcus McCorkle after reaching first. On the second pitch of Trevor Bradley's at-bat, McCorkle swiped second base and then advance to third on a balk by the Cougars' starting pitcher Jake Garrett. Bradley drove in the fourth and final Grizzly run of the game with a grounder to second base, giving GGC the 4-2 lead and eventual victory.
Solomon, as the pitcher of record in the fourth, picked up the victory for Georgia Gwinnett. Adkins (2-0) picked up the save, striking out 10 of the 16 batters he faced en route to being named the Grizzly of the Game. Saint Francis' Garrett (0-1) was attributed the loss. Solomon and Adkins combined for eight shutout innings in the victory.
Offensively, Lugo led the Grizzlies going 1-for-3 while driving in two runs.
"Today, I thought we played a more complete game compared to Friday. While we went down 2-0 early, the guys once again pieced things together and had timely hitting when it mattered most," stated GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. "We limited Solomon's pitch count, and I thought Adkins did a remarkable job coming in and picking up 10 strikeouts in the final five innings. We're back at it tomorrow and will continue to progress with each game."
The Grizzlies wrap up their series against the Cougars on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from the Grizzly Baseball Complex is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The first 100 fans Sunday will receive a 2016 spring sports poster while one lucky fan each game this year will win the Autobell Car Wash Grizzly Prize Pack.
Tickets for this weekend's action are $5 per game for adults, $3 for youth, seniors, and military, and free for children under five. All members of the GGC community receive free admission with their Claw Card. Season ticket packages are also on sale for all regular season contests. For more information on ticketing, click here. Free game day parking is available in the deck at the entrance to the GGC campus.
Game Day Central
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Sunday, Feb. 7: http://bit.ly/1nEmlD5
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